Fallout Equestria: Exile
by IonicRune
Summary: "Fallout. With Ponies!" Set about four years before the events of Fallout: Equestria, one stallion must learn to survive amidst the Wasteland and all it brings.


Prologue

**Blackness.**

This is all I see at first, this isn't the typical black you see in a Stable, this is true black. True night. In a Stable you are constantly surrounded by factitious sun and moonlight, the moonlight isn't even light. The lights shut off at night, for the most part. The power of a Stable is dimmed and less power is used to reserve it for day, to keep the generators running for however long they're needed. This isn't a problem, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Even the night workers don't mind it; having worked in the night division for so long their eyes will have adjusted. But this black, this true dark… it's terrifying, overwhelming. Suffocating. The night greets me with silence, the buzzing of bugs and the sound of distant gunfire. I believe it is gunfire, I'm not that familiar with it. I take a look back at the long corridor that leads to the large metal, gear shaped door that has since shut behind me. I look back forward at this… this Wasteland. All I can see, provided by the fuzzy moonlight forcing itself through the sickening grey cloud cover, is a layer of dust and debris. Something stood here once, it's been to long for anypony to make out what once could have been. Now, it's replace by this. Nothing but waste. The broken bits of wood, steel, and other rusted metals cover any hint of what this was. I sign dangles at an awkward angle, close to detaching from the large iron structure holding it up. A water tower has crumpled to its side, and cracked open. And traces of water either evaporated or too eradiated to drink. I feel the frayed the edges of the grass at my hooves, the small breeze blowing on the back of my neck, gently swaying my mane. At my side I carry only what I could smuggle out of the Stable in my saddlebag: Two cans of dried meat, three bottles of clean water, and a small knife. A knife that I can't use, why couldn't I be born with a horn? Magic seems like it would have been useful skill out here. Could of used it to clear this debris, maybe to levitate the boulders away from the entrance, or, heck, I could of even used it to carry the cans of meat. Once again I look upon the wastes of what I believe was a city once, and sigh. I take a deep breath, the air is acrid. It tastes like poison, but the computers deem it safe enough to breathe. Should I put my life into the hands of technology? Technology that I now acts up now and then, technology that deemed my brother guilty? I don't know, and I don't have a choice. This technology that deems the air safe, runs on the same processor as the device on my leg. Looking up at the wastes again, away from my leg, I take in the first sight I've seen since leaving the safety of my Stable, not only the first sight, the only sight I can for miles. And… I see nothing. There is nothing out here, I made the wrong choice, but there is no going back now.

**Not after what I did.**

For your understanding, I should start a few days earlier. So you can learn why I was cast out from my family, friends, and old life. Why I was forced to walk amidst the wastes, alone. But before I get to that, I should explain a bit about from where I'm from, exactly…

A stable. Stables are, of sorts, a giant underground bomb shelter. Several decades before my untimely exit, there was a great war. One between the Ponies of Equestria and the Zebra of… well, wherever Zebras come from. It was devastating, so any lost their lives over a pointless struggle for resources that could have been shared. I read about the war, in one of the books published in my stable, it seems so pointless, to me, why anypony or Zebra would willingly fight just because they're told to.

Anyways, I'm off topic, my Stable, numbered 83 by Stable tech, is one of many. When the bombs fell on that day, my ancestors were lucky enough to get in. 83 is one of the few Stables that took anypony in, as long as they showed up before the door shut. I suppose that's one of the good things about the Stable being built under a monastery. At least, that's where everypony says we are. There is no fact behind it, just the reports of figures in brown cloaks opening the door and letting whoever showed up, in.

One of the bad things about this way of thinking, letting them _all_ in, was the serious lack of food that took place within a decade. However, since the increase in the population meant a larger work force, more food was produced. So the problem solved itself, but this led to the 'iron-hoof' age, which has still not passed.

What is the iron-hoof age? The nickname most of the residents in 83 give to the tyrannical leadership that forces us all to only have one foal, and ration our food based on class. The rich eat four course meals three times a day, and the poor are lucky for single can of beans.

This place we live in, or, they live in, now, is a horrendous excuse for salvation. The laws are corrupt, the government is corrupt, the everything is corrupt. And I had to leave.

I'm going to start, as stated, three days prior to my exile. Hopefully this Pipbuck's operating system is strong enough to last while I record this, it's going to be the only record of what happened. After I record this, the story of how I got out here… I don't know what I'll do.

No, scratch that. I know exactly what I'm going to do. The only that I can do, the one thing that I know I can do. Probably the only thing that anypony _can_ do out here.

…

**Survive.**

This whole ordeal started two days ago, with the trial.

A colt, no older than five, was sentenced to death after stealing bread. That's how strict the rationing is. I remember it, so clearly. Sitting in the courtroom, the jury coming in with some of them looking regretful, some happy, some angry. All guilty. I remember sitting, the same as the rest of the ponies watching the case, in shock. My jaw dropped when the foreman read the verdict.

They all knew what would happen if he was found guilty. We all know the punishment too well, too… well. I remember my mother holding my head to her chest, and my father dropping the glass his coffee was in. The noise it made when it hit the floor was a noise you don't want to hear.

I don't mean glass breaking is a noise you don't want to hear, I mean the context of it. Hearing the glass break, knowing that it wasn't an accident, knowing that it had fallen from grief. From anger, maybe, from shock, fear, any other emotion you can think of. The splintering sound of that cup haunts my ears, a reminder that even if it is a colt's life in the balance, they chose money over him.

That night I did not sleep.

I remember lying awake, staring at my roof. The curfew has never bothered me before, only tonight… I could hear them outside. The rioting. I peered out my bedroom windows and saw the citizens, knives in hooves, guns in magic, and just about anything they could find for a weapon, they had it.

I saw my father out there. And my mother. They had locked the door that night and sent me to bed early, I couldn't just sit idly by and watch. I'm not that kind of pony, if I remember correctly, I rolled out of my bed and trotted to the door. I slid my keycard through the card slot and heard the click. This decision, to leave my home, was not made easy. I can remember sitting in the bed for hours, listening to them. The gunfire, the screaming, the blood curdling screams of agony. I finally decided to try and do something.

When I took the first step outside, seeing the distant glow of gunfire frightened me. Then, I knew. I knew that I was not designed for the ordinary life set forth for me, the aptitude test, and the placement test, my life being decided for me, no. I was not meant for that. I knew it, and I still do.

I followed after the noise, passing bodies in awkward positions, bone poking out of their skin, blood pouring from some of their mouths. The sight was revolting, I remember a few time I felt like I would vomit, and other times I did. "Keep running." All I could say and think to myself. The mob had made it to our leader's home before they were mostly gunned down. A few members still stood, at most ten. I slid to halt when I caught up, not seeing my parents standing. I forced myself to not think about it, hearing the door of the home in front of us opening and closing. Our leader coming out and saying, "Who is responsible for this." Nopony raised their hoof, nopony moved, none of them said anything.

He asked again, this time threatening them all with death if nopony spoke up. Still, silence. I wouldn't watch more die, I knew that if I spoke I would be killed. But what's my life compared to the lives of ten?

My hoof, slowly lifted into the air without my thinking. No hesitation, I just did it. But, it was just lifted. I was pointing at somepony. Following my hoof, I landed my gaze upon our leader. The others looked at me, and they did the same.

I remember being tackled after that, more gunshots and screaming. Blood slowly pooling over to me. I was quickly hoisted up and dragged behind some Earth Ponies I couldn't see their faces, that night I had seen too much blood, too much gore. I needed to rest. The last thing I remember that night was my eyes closing.

I don't know how long I slept, just that it was day when I awoke. Or, day by the Stables standards, the lights were on and the fake sun rotated along the sky. I was in a holding cell, looking out the window I remember seeing the passing of guards. Sighing, I flopped down.

I just sat there, waiting for I don't know what.

Death maybe? Maybe.

I remember my heart pounding as the door opened. On the other side, a mare. I don't know her, she looked upset, and she was. My verdict was death. I was scheduled for execution the tomorrow.

The mare leaned in and I saw her, she was pink. A bright pink, not hot pink. Just a bright pink. A Unicorn, as her horn would lead me to believe. Her hair was a slightly messy shoulder cut, and was light-greyish magenta and some white strikes. It wasn't age white, more like natural white. Her eyes were a light green, a cutie mark of twin blades crossing in an 'X' on her flank. This mare was deadly, or at least, when she wasn't sad.

I remember her, a few years ago we were in the same school. Her name is Lily something, she used to help her mom out at the perfume shop her family runs, until she got a high result on the tests and was shipped to the guard. She holds the rank of captain, I think. She's about three years older than me, around twenty four. Not sure, it's been years since we've seen each other. It didn't look like she remembered me. I barely remember her, a few casual encounters in the hallways. A 'hey' here and there, not much, I mean, she was three years ahead of me. I know I didn't want to associate with the younger students, reputations and whatnot.

She leaned into the room and gave me a hug, I felt her put something behind me. There weren't any cameras in the cells, nopony ever thought about escaping or doing something stupid, so there wasn't a need for them. After she left, I can remember the shock of finding out what was behind me.

A key.

Not just any key, the one to my cell door. Clearly she disagreed with the decision, that or she just didn't want anypony to die. I grinned, stood up and quickly jostled the key into the keyhole, unlocking the cell door.

I waited till the right time, when none of the guards were looking, and quietly slid out of my cell. I passed by a small room, I saw the mare in there. I gave her a grateful smile, and she moved me along with her hoof, winking at me. I quickly trotted out, I had no idea where I was going to go.

They had the whole Stable under surveillance, no way to get out quietly, I remember thinking that should I go for the door, and into the wastes, unfortunately that is password protected. No way out, not unless you have the key. Which is only available to our leader and his assistants. Then I heard hoofsteps behind me, I didn't look. I began to ran, the hoofsteps speeding up with me.

I heard panting and a mare telling me to "Stop!".

I turned my head around and saw Lily again. She gave me a piece of paper, and told me to hurry to the door. I was dazed, I can't remember why. I just know I was, something had happened. Oh wait, yes. There was an explosion, I remember the dust and debris scattering around, but wait… I set it off. That's right, yes. I remember. On my way out, when I passed Lily, I found a small room with explosives in it. I needed to create a distraction, plus at the time I figured this was my only way to get the door the open.

I grabbed a few red sticks, the fuses were rather short, but it looked like one would set off the rest. I have no idea what they are, but when I light the small wire, Lily pushed me forward and the blast knocked us both down. She stuffs the paper in my hoof, and told me to run.

I did, I found my way to the door and blinked. I had used all of the explosives for the distraction, I had no way to get out, so I stand there and stare at the door. The giant 83 painted on it. The last sight I know I will ever see, I heard screaming. I remember turning my head around and seeing the pink mare, Lily, running towards me.

She was yelling something, I can remember nodding and looking at the paper. The sound of gunfire behind me, the bullets bouncing off the metal door. I know that there was a small terminal near the door, light gray with a black screen. A green blinking dot.

I quickly trotted over and

6


End file.
